Scope's reply to the governments planned concessions to the green paper.

As a % of GDP, the UK government is spending the same amount on working-age benefits as it was in 2015. This stands at around 5% and is not projected to change by 2030. This is because we have seen deep cuts to benefits like Universal Credit alongside the increase in people claiming health and disability benefits.

Hi Lovely

Its all so confusing.

I can't flipping keep up.

I been trying to avoid the news etc as I know it will make me ill again.

Take care. X

It's difficult to know what the Telegraph intends when it writes a story like that, given it's the same paper which last year gave readers a calculator to work out how much of their 'hard earned' tax was going to those not in work.

I think we should be paying more attention to the people who are trying to claim PIP legitimately but who are stuck in reviews, at MR, rejected for no real reason. I think that should be a bigger topic of conversation in this overall government debate. We'll officially call these 'errors', but they are errors with consequences, both for the tax-payer and the claimant. It's surprising to me that there is nothing in the bill mandating better scrutiny, objective DWP regulation and such to prevent these 'errors' from taking place.

And nobody has calculated the saving that would be gleaned from fewer unnecessary appeals and tribunals, either.

I wonder how much could be saved if the DWP carried out its own assessments with trained staff, rather than outsourcing to overstretched assessment companies who are not able to provide adequately trained assessors for the conditions in question.

It's sad to keep seeing the "1000 people a day are joining PIP" parrot rhetoric when we all know - or should know - that there's never a case of 100% applicants being awarded PIP without being bogged down in these issues. Even if all those 1000 claimants are genuine, which they might well be. I've also seen no indication of whether all these claimants are new, or whether some of them are those who, like me, went through a tribunal and then had their review treated as a new claim.

Another statistical consideration is that every year a % of children age up to 16. 16 is the migration age from DLA to PIP. So among that 1000 are probably many children who have claimed DLA and now need to be migrated. Having had conversations with parents stuck in this system and feeling helpless, I will guarantee you that none of those are easy or automatic processes either.

There are always red flags when people talk about a number - and quote it - and then misquote it, but don't interrogate what it means. And herein lies the biggest problem with the bill - and some people's interpretations of it.

I hope the bill will be scrapped though I think it unlikely that will happen now. But let's see what happens. If nothing else, the government have been made to realise that disabled people are not the easy target they might have been ten years ago - and that public opinion is beginning to shift in the direction of disability cuts will harm our society (including the NHS). I find that hopeful, as it means there are more people genuinely making themselves aware of the situation, rather than believing the stuff they read on social media.

If you have an MP who was on the amendment, I think it's worth emailing them continued concerns about the bill even as it currently stands. We need a bill where it is understood that not all the 'reform' has to come from disabled people losing out, but also better regulation, guidance and enforcement of employer responsibilities as well.

What I do not understand about Keir Starmer and these changes. Why doesn't he use his common sense and invite people like scope and other experts to a meeting and get their input into this. It is obvious he does not understand what it is like to be in ill health. He has just decided this is a great idea to save money and not really looked into it.

People still do not understand if the changes will affect them. For example if your award runs out after the changes, does the four point system affect you. He is not making it clear. Even when labour ministers were asked that question over the weekend, they did not know. And now, a labour mayor is telling MPs to vote against the changes. So, if he is still saying that, then he knows something we don't